


The Picnic

by kyrrann



Series: Mass Effect Drabbles [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fishing, Fluff, Humor, Picnics, Romance, sand castles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 03:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8562472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyrrann/pseuds/kyrrann
Summary: Shepard and Kaidan have a very romantic picnic planned...until it is crashed by a couple of Krogan.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunwisecircles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunwisecircles/gifts).



The sun was shining brightly, down through the wispy clouds and to the ground where Shepard and Kaidan sat on a blanket near the lake shore. In the distance, the snow capped mountains stood majestically, giving the spot an almost magical feel.

Shepard smiled as she felt the lazy breeze hit her face. “Now this is nice. No reapers, no Cerberus, no responsibilities. A great suggestion for a little downtime.”

Kaidan opened the basket next to him and began to pull out it’s contents. “Well even the famous Commander Shepard needs some time to relax. I know you get so little of it as it is.”

“I really appreciate it,” she said sweetly as she picked up a sandwich from the blanket. “You made mine without mayo right? I hate mayo.”

Kaidan laughed. “Of course.  I don’t want to be in trouble when we get back to the ship. The last thing I need on my service record are the words  _Demoted due to errant use of mayonnaise_.”

“Well, I did have to officially log a dangerous use of jello in Joker’s service record,” Shepard teased.

“A dangerous use of what?” Kaidan asked, mouth agape. “Oh wait, I don’t really want to know.”

A loud splash came from the direction of the lake. “Hey Shepard!! Look at me! I’m a submarine!” Grunt dove under the water, his snorkel visible on the surface.

“Tell me again why you invited Grunt and Wrex along on our romantic date?” Kaidan asked as he opened a bottle of wine and started pouring each of them a glass.

“I didn’t invite them exactly,” she said as the popped a grape in her mouth. “Grunt asked me where I was headed so I told him without thinking. Next thing I knew, he and Wrex showed up at my door along with snorkels, fishing poles and a sand pail. What was I supposed to say?”

Kaidan chuckled as he handed Shepard her wine glass. “What? You mean you didn’t want to tell a couple of 800 pound meat shields that you and your boyfriend were planning a romantic picnic and they weren’t invited?”

“Grunt was so excited, standing there with his sand pail and shovel. I didn’t have the heart.” Shepard took a sip of her wine and looked back out at the lake. Grunt, now out of the water, was sitting in the sand digging a hole.

“Keep diggin, diggin, diggin. Though the pails are fillin’, Keep those shovels movin', Rawhide!” Grunt sang merrily as he dug in the sand.

“Do you want to tell him that those are not the real lyrics,” Kaidan asked, sipping his wine.

“Nooo, not me. Keep the kid happy, I say.” Shepard scanned the area. “Where’s Wrex, anyway? He said he’d keep an eye on Grunt for me.”

“Not sure.  He said something about checking out the fishing in the area. Funny thing is he left the fishing poles here.” Kaidan pointed to a nearby tree with fishing poles leaned up against it.

Shepard took another sip of her wine and then put her head on Kaidan’s shoulder. “Real Krogan don’t need fishing poles. They have bullets.”

Kaidan started to laugh and then stopped. “Wait, you’re totally serious, aren’t you?”

“Sand angels!!” Grunt yelled, laying down on the sand and waving his arms and legs about. “Woohoo!”

Kaidan put his arm around Shepard and hugged her tight. “He’s sure enjoying himself, isn’t he?”

“Mmhmm,” Shepard murmured. “And so am I. Part of me doesn’t want to leave here, Kaidan. To go back out there to all that uncertainty. If I could run away with you and live in peace the rest of my life, I would do it without hesitation.”

“You’d be bored out of your mind, and you know it Shepard,” he teased, kissing the top of her head before resting his cheek on it. “And instead of studying seashells on the beach like Mordin, you’d be shooting them. And then maybe the fish. All the local wildlife really. The environment couldn’t handle a retired Shepard.”

Shepard playfully poked him in the arm. “Hey now, watch it or you’ll find yourself sleeping on the floor tonight.”

A large splash caught Shepard’s attention as Grunt jumped off a small pier and belly flopped into the water. “Ouch!!” he yelled.

“Hey Shepard,” Kaidan began, putting his hand into his pocket. “It's funny that you bring up wanting to spend the rest of your life with me because …”

Kaidan pulled out a tiny box and opened it to reveal a ring with a small diamond on it. He positioned himself so that he was on one knee in front of her. “Look, I know nothing is certain in this war. We could both end up dead tomorrow. But I need to know that if both of us make it through this, that you will be there, waiting for me.”

He slipped the ring on her finger. “Jane Elizabeth Shepard, will you marry me?”

Shepard beamed down at the ring, her hand shaking slightly. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster. She reached up and put her hand on Kaidan’s cheek and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. The feel of his lips on hers did nothing to quell her beating heart. Finally, she pulled away, huge smile on her face.

“Does that mean yes?” Kaidan grinned, eyes staring into hers.

She nodded. “Of course it does.”

Kaidan started to pull her in for another kiss when something plopped down on the blanket next to them.

“It’s about time you two decided to get hitched and started making babies,” Wrex grunted as he stared down at them.

“Uh Wrex, why is there an enormous, smelly fish on my blanket?” Shepard asked confused.

“What do you think it is?” Wrex asked. “It’s your engagement present. Receiving a fish like this quite an honor among my people.”

“Uh, well, thank you Wrex…,” Kaidan trailed off, not wishing to offend the hulking warrior. “What, exactly should we be doing with this?”

Wrex laughed. “Such a kidder! You cook it, off course. By the way, I like mine charred to a crisp.”

Kaidan gave Shepard a look that said _Don’t look at me, you’re the one that invited him_.

“It’s an honor Wrex, really,” Shepard said, looking down at the large fish, complete with a smoking bullet hole through it’s middle.

Another shadow fell across them. Shepard looked up to see a dripping, sand covered Grunt towering above them, holding something in his hands.

“And this is from me!” he said with a large smile. “I made it myself just a few minutes ago.”

Shepard reached up and took a seashell necklace from his hands. She smiled up at him. “Why thank you Grunt.  It's beautiful.  I’ll treasure it always.”

As Shepard put the necklace on Kaidan spoke up, “Don’t I get one too, Grunt?”

Grunt looked confused. “You’re getting married, you can share.”

Wrex grabbed Grunt by the arm. “Come on Grunt, let’s make ourselves scarce. These two likely want to go at it like pyjacks.”

“Thank you both again,” Shepard said as they walked away. Once Wrex and Grunt had disappeared out of sight, she turned back to Kaidan. “Now, where were we?”

Kaidan put his forehead against hers and breathed, “I don’t know about you, but I think Wrex had the right idea.”

Shepard smiled and reached up to wrap her arms around Kaidan’s neck, pulling him down onto the blanket with her. “That he did.”

 


End file.
